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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · fall · march · net · rest · foot · bore · shower

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — a measure
  3. shower — rain
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. march — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — the month
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — to drop
  14. shower — to wash
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — after costs
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com